Wanted to see if anyone has built their own speakers. Are the kits worth it? I thought that it might be a fun project but I don't want to throw $$ into something that will not return great sound. Let me know what you think.

There have been a number of people in this forum who have built speaker kits, and they have typically spoken very highly of the results. Check out the "Your System Saloon" (particularly older posts, when it was originally focused on speakers) for some good info on DIY speakers.

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gonk -- 950 Review | LFM-1 Review | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | Saloon Links

I have built myself a complete speaker sytem (6 speakers) based on an Ed Frias design (ARdiy.com). To me they sound wonderful; but of course this is very subjective. I've gone on to build many more sets for friends and family that were very impressed with the sound. I've also built an Octagon Tempest 15" subwoofer to complete the ensemble. I enjoy woodworking so the cabinets were ventures into imagination. I created a few different designs; not the typical box style.
Is a project in diy worth it? For every yes you could probably get a no.

Here also is a pic of my surrounds and a better profile of the mains.

Holy Nautilus, Batman!!

Is that MDF with faux-finish?

WOW! Come on now. That's like showing someone that wants to build a car a pic of a Bentley. Amazing. Pat yourself on the back for those. Simply beautiful!.

Holy M C Hammer!

The disadvantage of your system may be that the visitors may forget to check the sound quality by aesthetics stealing all their attention. Until the lights are turned off, that is.


lomb7:
Check out these threads for reviews on DIY speakers.
http://ubb.outlawaudio.com/ubb/Forum4/HTML/000280.html
http://ubb.outlawaudio.com/ubb/Forum4/HTML/000276.html

You can get kits and parts from sites below.
http://www.partsexpress.com/
http://www.acoustic-visions.com/
http://www.madisound.com/

Here’s some basic info on building it from scratch.
http://www.speakerbuilder.net

id say you enjoy woodworking! those are sweet looking even if they sounded like poop... for them to sound good and look that nice is a great combo.

makes me want to build some stuff, though i lack the tools/skill to design and make those cabinets.

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This post has been brought to you by curegeorg, thanks for reading.

It is great to have a list of manufacturers for building a speaker. I want to try a low powered tube amp and suitable very efficient small speakers for an extra room. I can't tell the efficiency of these speaker kits. Does anyone have a kit or specs for such a speaker? I want something in a minimonitor or bookshelf type and something mated to a 5 or 10 Watt tube amp that I will make. Thanks.

[This message has been edited by musiciseverything (edited September 24, 2004).]

This may be related to your search.
http://ubb.outlawaudio.com/ubb/Forum15/HTML/001366.html

All kit HE8.1, 10.1 and 12.1 here are high efficiency speakers designed for low wattage tube amps.
http://www.acoustic-visions.com/~acoustic/products/speakers/complete_kits/